All characters are at least 18 years old.
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"The hell's wrong with you?" Drew asked, eyes narrowed in suspicion.
"What?" I asked as I sat down on the seat next to him. As usual, Brie found a seat on the bus next to one of her friends. Nothing out of the ordinary.
"There's something about you..." Drew scratched his chin. "It's like that glow that pregnant women have, y'know? Except you're a teenage dude who's probably not pregnant."
"Probably," I agreed dryly.
"I dunno, you just... I haven't seen you like this *ever*. You haven't even been *happy* since before, well, y'know. The whole thing over the summer." He scratched his head awkwardly, unsure of how to address my parents' divorce in casual morning conversation. I grunted in response.
"Well, my mom got a new job," I said as if to answer him. "Pays more than both the jobs she has right now, and fewer hours too."
"Oh, neat. Is that what you were talking about last night?" I nodded. "Gotta say, I thought it was gonna be some wild shit. Like your mom stalking your dad in her free time or something."
My face scrunched up in utter confusion. "What the hell are you talking about?"
"I'm just saying your mom needs rope. Does she have rope? She needs to get, like, that nylon shit so the fibers won't be left on his skin or clothes." He spent the rest of the ride to school talking about, were my mother to kidnap my father for torturing purposes, all the ways she could get caught and how she could potentially circumnavigate them. He later confessed to bingeing a forensic series, which I said was evident and didn't require his admission.
Classes seemed to crawl. At times I could've sworn that when I looked at the clock, the time displayed was even earlier than when I'd checked it five minutes prior. Lunch period finally arrived and I hurried to the cafeteria, eager to see Brie again. We shared none of our classes, so lunch was the only time during school that we'd see each other. Drew had beaten me there, and was waving me down at our usual table. It wasn't long before Brie and Lexi showed up again. Now that Lexi knew our secret, I expected she'd be spending a lot more time with us, as well as putting me and Brie together in social situations as often as possible.
Brie seemed ready to assume the same seating arrangement as last week, but suddenly Lexi cut her off, almost making Brie drop her lunch. Lexi sat herself next to Drew, looking at Brie expectantly to sit beside me. Brie gave her a stern glare before settling next to me.
"Hey," I said with a smile.
"Hey," she replied, biting her lip.
When I turned back, the two people sat across from us had expressions of interest clearly displayed, and I realized that even with an exchange as innocent as it was, we just slipped up. Lexi had a knowing smirk, which was to be expected. But Drew was looking between the two of us with a quizzical frown. He glanced at Lexi and saw her reaction too, as well as whatever guilty expression I had on when I found him taking notice.
"What?" I asked, trying to pass it off as him being weird and seeing something that wasn't there.
He grunted then shook his head. "Nothing." His gaze shifted from me to Brie, then to Lexi, and my heart sank.
"So, Stef," Lexi crooned, in full flirt mode. "How was your weekend?"
Lexi coming in with the save of both pushing the conversation as well as feigning interest in me was a godsend. Drew immediately lost his inquisitive look as I shrugged and gave a generic answer about work.
"Aw, that's too bad," Lexi continued. "Because we girls..." She beamed at Brie. "...went on a nice shopping spree and then to a movie. You boys watch A Dreamlike Life yet?"
Drew groaned and hung his head as Lexi launched into an in-depth summary of the film, and Brie and I shot her grateful looks when he wasn't looking. She gave us a wink, not skipping a beat as she fawned over Felix fighting off an entire rival gang on his own. By the time lunch was over, Drew looked like he wanted to hang himself, and had apparently forgotten all about whatever theories he had about me and my sister.
"So I'll see you after school?" I murmured to Brie.
She looked glumly at the ground. "I have work."
"And I have practice," I groaned, just remembering. "But maybe I could come over after I'm done? Pretty sure your shift is longer, so I can pop by to pick you up?"
A small smile played across her lips. "Careful, Stef. I think we're getting too comfortable too soon."
"Like I give a fuck." I put an arm around her shoulders and hugged her, wishing I could give her a kiss on the cheek. "See you later, sis."
The rest of the day passed more quickly than the morning as I occupied myself with thoughts of seeing her later. One of my friends, Rowan, had to snap me out of it during practice.
"Yo, Stef!" He smacked me on the shoulder, giving me a start. "Focus up before coach kicks your ass. I don't even have a stopwatch and I can tell your times are down."
"Right. Thanks, Row."
"C'mon. Last two. Let's go."
Anxious to be done, I think I might have done my best laps yet. Coach harrumphed and let my earlier times slide, and I quickly showered and walked to the store Brie worked at. I still didn't understand how Brie could work at a clothing store without knowing anything about clothing. I once told her that she didn't seem enough of a fashionista to work there, and instead of proving me wrong, she just pelted me with stationery.
It was shortly before dinner when I got there, nearing the end of her shift. Mom had left a note that morning saying she was going to be late again, and I could imagine she was very much looking forward to starting her new job. It occurred to me that we'd forgotten to ask her about that. Brie was the only person in the store.
"Excuse me, miss," I called as I entered. "I'm looking for something nice and sexy for my girlfriend."
"You don't have a girlfriend, you virgin," she shot out with a grin, and I clutched my chest theatrically. She laughed and I straightened up, walking up to the check-out counter.
"Well, I have a very disapproving sister who has high standards for me," I said, wiggling my eyebrows. She couldn't decide how to react and instead opted to slap my hand. "So, you ready to go?"
"I can't," she grumbled. "Georgie's sick, so I have to close tonight."
"And when's that?"
"In another hour."
I groaned, already looking for somewhere to sit. Naturally, this was one of those stores without any seats, the kind that forced boyfriends and husbands to stand right next to their ladies so that they could find something expensive for him to pay for.
"I know. I'm sorry." She actually did look disappointed. I looked at her and thought for a moment before giving her a playful look.
"Y'know what we should do..."